Restaurant

Black Axe Mangal

$$

Black Axe is a tiny, low-lit joint with a serious heavy metal habit. The vibe is "dive bar meets Chinese takeaway," and dinner big on flavors, spices, and offal, with every component slow-cooked, crafted, or smoked in house. Service is fast, friendly, and suitably rock 'n' roll.

London

Cuisine

European

TL;DR

Mangal and heavy metal

The vibe

Tiny and raucous

The crowd

Whiskey-fueled

The drinks

Start off with a shot

The service

Fast and fun

Our Review

Tell us about your first impressions when you arrived.Give your ears a moment to adjust when you walk into Black Axe, a tiny, low-lit joint with a serious heavy metal habit. (Queens of the Stone Age, maybe, or Mötley’s Crüe’s Too Fast for Love.) The vibe is ""dive bar meets Chinese takeaway,"" with black and gold walls, waving lucky cats, and floral plastic tablecloths. Squeeze around a tiny table or commandeer a stool by the bar, looking over the mangal grill and wood-fired oven, spray-painted with portraits of Kiss.

What was the crowd like?This place has a loyal bunch of fans, from offal-loving chefs to families, who generally drop by for the weekend brunch, when the music mellows (think Tom Waits or The Black Crowes) and there are kid-friendly cinnamon-banana flatbreads.

What should we be drinking?Cocktails include the pink Whiskey Sourz, spiked with rosehip and hibiscus, and an excellent Tom Collins made with kaffir lime-leaf syrup. Or keep it simple with a beer and whiskey chaser, or a Mission slammer: tequila with fresh orange and Danny Bowien-approved spicing.

Main event: the food. Give us the lowdown—especially what not to miss.There’s serious talent in the (tiny) kitchen, headed up by Lee Tiernan, formerly at St John. His short menu of snacks, plates, and flatbreads goes big on flavors, spices, and offal, with every component slow-cooked, crafted, or smoked in house. Don’t miss the messy, yoghurt-flecked lamb offal flatbread, or the crisply-breaded rabbit, dipped in feisty chili sauce. The squid-ink bun’s a standout, with egg yolk and smoked cod’s roe, but we also love the humble hispi cabbage—charred, slathered in fermented shrimp butter, and next-level umani. To finish, there’s currently just one dessert: the heady Jameson’s and honey ice-cream.

And how did the front-of-house folks treat you?Service is fast, friendly, and suitably rock 'n' roll. Basically, pretty much everyone on staff could moonlight as a rock star or a roadie (think tattoos, vintage metal T-shirts, and Patti Smith-style fringes).

What’s the real-real on why we’re coming here?It’s cramped, low-lit, and loud—but that’s all part of the fun. Groups of four and above can book ahead; otherwise arrive early, or be prepared for a wait.